China imposed a ban on Japanese seafood imports in 2023. -EPA
China has agreed on procedures to resume imports of Japanese seafood products, Japan's government says, marking a step towards ending a nearly two-year trade ban.
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Officials from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and China's Customs reached the agreement during a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday, the ministry said, adding China-bound seafood exports are expected to resume after China takes "necessary procedures".
The agreement comes as both governments work to ease tensions stemming from the 2023 release of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The Japanese ministry did not specify the details of the procedures.
But the Nikkei newspaper, which reported the news earlier, said that under the agreed measures, Japan will register fishery processing facilities with Chinese authorities, and export shipments will include inspection certificates confirming the absence of radioactive substances such as cesium-137.
Nikkei added that China is expected to formally announce the resumption of seafood imports from Japanese prefectures outside the Fukushima region in the near future.
China imposed the ban on Japanese seafood imports in 2023, shortly after Tokyo began releasing treated wastewater from the disaster-hit plant, prompting a sharp diplomatic and economic backlash.
Japan said the discharge met international safety standards and data from the IAEA monitoring were publicly available.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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